Revisiting the Tree Sparrow

On December 27, I shared an image of a Tree Sparrow whose face was hidden behind a twig. It was the only shot I could get. Since then I've had several visiting my feeder for the seeds that fall to the ground (the Tree Sparrow is a ground forager). Recently I had a more successful photo shot, so enjoy.

Till next time . . . Keep birds in your heart!

Georgia Anne

I Owe You . . . One Cardinal in the Snow

Back a few weeks (January 17) I posted a photo of a male Northern Cardinal, praising the beauty of his color against the white snow. Unfortunately my posing cardinal did not select a snowy backdrop for his portrait, though snow enough covered the landscape.

I promised then to remedy the situation with another portrait. And so here I deliver: a photo of a cardinal (named for the regal red robes worn by Catholic cardinals) taken through my living room window and screen. Doesn't he look like a puff ball?

Until next time . . . Keep birds in your heart.

Georgia Anne

Took this photo of a black-capped last weekend by am sharing it now because I've just been listening to one giving a persistent 'gargle call'), described by Lang Elliot as "a rapid, gargling sputter of notes sounding like tseedleedeet or t'slink-rrrrr.

Elliot also tells us that 'gargle calls' are given during aggressive encounters or chases. You can hear this gargle call at the Wikipedia link below (scan far down the page).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_Chickadee

This Wikipedia article also indicates that the gargle call in often given 'when feeding', which suits my situation here exactly. Since the sunflower seed tray needs refilling--the situation among the birds is tense!

Until next time . . . Keep birds in your heart!

Georgia Anne